I have to finish the fight! Ah fuck...

@OrangeGoblin- if they put out an Orange Box 2 with those games in it for $60 I would be all over it. Esp. if it comes out at the same time as Ep. 3. That would be the best value in gaming going.

Companion Box with Ep3 for $60, while you get HL2, Ep1, Ep2 and Portal with it once more. Pay for the same shit 3 times, yeaaaah!

I recently beat ep2 and I have to say I can't wait for ep3. The thrill that game was the last few fights was just worth playing. I wonder if they're gonna have a portal gun.

Ehh, I'll be too busy playing Team Fortress 3.

Good thing you can buy probably buy it individually on steam...unless it comes boxed with a portal sequel.


Does this mean no more half life games after Ep3? Or are they just going to finish the current story arc

Look forward to it, sometime in 2010.

I can't wait.

@emotaku

i don't understand your sarcasm

It better be epic. After all, it is the best video game series ever that stars Rivers Cuomo. Epic Sauce is required.

Seriously though, those are some hella durable glasses. I need me a pair.

I wonder if this one will have fulcrum puzzles.

@hex

I think this is stemming from a problem why no one likes you. You don't like anything, therefore, are unable to be receptive of our love for you, so in return, we shower you with equal hate.

I liked half life 2. i just didn't think it was "ALL THAT" it was hyped to be.

like i said. i say something, and i get personally attacked on here. it is the way of bloggers.. oh well. waste your hate on me.. :)

DAMN STRAIGHT IT WILL BE EPIC!

hexfix> I think Valve is one of a few development houses that really put time in to their products, that really take pride in to what they release. The only other comparable house I can think of is Blizzard.

I'm not that in to Half Life myself, its just not my cup of tea (I do love TF2 though)... but calling Valve's games 'over hyped', made by a 'bunch of slow guys' is disrespect that should only be reserved for the 3d Realms and Guerilla Games of the world.

I'm just curious how this will be released. PC gamers will obviously get it via Steam, but will there be a retail configuration for 360 owners? Will Valve release an Orange Box +? And hypothetically, if they do, will you be able to trade in your old copy and have your saves carry over to the new version? Or will Episode 3 be DLC?

Also, I think part of the reason Episode 2 took so long was because they released TF2 and Portal with it.

Well a nice bit of knowledge about EP2, Portal and TF2 is that the one of the script writers behind Psychonauts co-authored these newest releases. No doubt thats where so much of the great dialogue and character moments came in that made these releases special.
@13 That aside, Yatzee's video blog critiques get taken with a grain of salt. Yes episodic content is expected to be frequent but then again an epic novel or movie series takes a long time to produce. Just the facts of developing quality.

Did Hexfix call Valve slow? To this day, nothing can really compare to Half-Life 2's single player campaign. Not your previous lackluster game Resistance and I doubt Haze will do anything for the genre (I'm sorry, but it looks generic and Korn made a soundtrack for it). It takes time to produce something that will leave you putting down your mouse and keyboard/controller and have you take everything you've just done at a slow pace. Because it was that great.

What do you think the highest scored game is overall?
No, it's not Final Fantasy and it's not Halo (despite my love for it). It's Half-Life 2. That says something. The fact that everyone collectively said, this shit is awesome.

And I know you're still bearing the scars left by a certain someone from Valve calling the PS3 a waste of everyone's time. I know it burns, baby, but we must move on.

And now I wait for your conspiracy theories. Valve must of paid everyone off, right? Even me.

Maybe by the time HL2:e3 comes out, it can be released as DLC itself - I realize that downloading from Steam and XBLA aren't the same thing, but digital distribution is getting stronger, and pipes are getting bigger all the time.

@hexfix
Dude, take a look around at everyone else. Notice how almost no one is getting hated on? Except you? Yeah, it's because you've been a fanboy dick for as long as you've been here. Stop hating and everyone else will eventually stop hating back. I don't really have anything personal against you, I just wish you were a little more fair and a little less obnoxious. Whatevzzzz.

Can't wait! I reckon it'll probably be shipped digitally over live. If not I hope it comes in another 'Box' with Counter Strike 2 - which is blantly in development ;-)

Wheres my Sin 2 episode???? *weeps*

Well said, Mr. Sterling.

I hate to be the one to have to say it, but development time is always an issue, and honestly Mr Sterling, it needs to be as addressed in a better fashion by the industry, not just passed back to the people paying for the product in a "we just aint got the time" style reasoning.

If you go back and look at the system requirements for HL, then HL2, and then Orange box, I can honestly say you would need to have a new system for each game pack to maximize the experience (and perhaps even a technology refresh for the HDR in Lost Coast). Because we aren't all rock-star quality game developers, or Nintendo, where people just toss money at our feet, and our PC's in the real world don't just evolve like a they been hit by the AllSpark, we have to fuel the constant upgrade cycle with blood, sweat and cold hard cash.

The length of the development cycle always seems just long enough for it to rely upon a new technology that is equivalent to a whole day worth of this work they require you do in order to craft the cash, or worse still, the investment in an entire new system (even for system builders, no cheap feat, try level grinding your way up to that one). The whole time, the console set just gets new game after new game, only having to move to a better seat to enjoy the next installment of a game. Heck, up to and including my PS3, all my consoles combined haven't cost as much as the last 2 computers I've built for myself.

In the end, the issue is a mixture of normal human impatience (i.e. we all gots it) and the rareness of cash as a standard drop from killing the local monsters (did you know that rats DON'T really carry gold coins?), as well as a splash of "Attempt to maximize profit, including profit potential, while minimizing expenditure across the bottom line. At the same time, dissolving the risk of longterm development in the assurances of a Triple-A class title, associated media blitz and maintaining a shallow pool of employees"... or something of the sort.